Genius Meanings
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Iron Maiden – When the Wild Wind Blows
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Keeping with Maiden’s tradition of film-based songs, this one is based on When the Wind Blows, an animation released in 1986 (based on a graphic novel) about an elderly couple who
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Hail Mary Mallon – King Cone
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This song dives into the awkward, uncontrollable life we’re all living. You might not be able to understand why you exist, but at least you get ice cream sometimes.
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Iron Maiden – Starblind
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This song is about breaking religion’s hold over you. Iron Maiden points out the hypocrisies and general problems of all religions in the song. If you are a good person, you don’t
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Iron Maiden – Mother of Mercy
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This song is about war. Like an earlier Iron Maiden song, the story is told from the point of view of a soldier. He witnesses horrors and wonders if what he’s doing is the right
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Iron Maiden – Isle of Avalon
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This song is about the Celtic myth of the isle of Avalon, a magical place where the immortals dwell and where the departed spirits were preparing to go to the Otherworld. The myth
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Mr. Big – Goin Where The Wind Blows
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Someone said life is for the takin',here I am with my hand out / Waitin' for a ride / I've been livin' on my great expectations,what good is it when I'm stranded here / And the
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Iron Maiden – The Talisman
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This song is about a large group of people leaving their country of origin to find freedom and fortune in the New World. The narrator explains that this is a flight from whatever
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Iron Maiden – The Alchemist
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This song is about John Dee, who was a British mathematician and occultist from the 16th century. He advised Queen Elizabeth I and even coined the term ‘British Empire’ for her. He
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SHAHMEN – Wild Brush Fire
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[Intro: Unknown] / You know who I am? (Chuckle) / You ever hear ??? / [Verse 1: BLESS X Shahmen] / Out in Amsterdam, still smoking on that LA / Smiling at life, here in the beast's
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Iron Maiden – Coming Home
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Bruce Dickinson sings on how relieved he is to return to England after flying around the world in Maiden’s own jet.
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SHAHMEN – Wild Brush Fire
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[Intro: Unknown] / You know who I am? (Chuckle) / You ever hear ??? / [Verse 1: BLESS X Shahmen] / Out in Amsterdam, still smoking on that LA / Smiling at life, here in the beast's
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Iron Maiden – The Man Who Would Be King
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This song is about some man, who was supposed to be a king and who is in search for atonement for having killed someone in self-defence, although he seems to question the necessity
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British Lion – A World without Heaven
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These days are sad and lonely / True love has passed me by / I want you one and only / Too bad these tears I cry / How many heartaches must we take / How many more times must we
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Silverbones – Wild Waves
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Ropes in the hand, it’s time to weigh anchor / And spread our sails to the wind / The hard wooden hull that slices the water / Rounding islands and reefs / Searching for gold we’re
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Iron Maiden – Satellite 15... The Final Frontier
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The opening track for Iron Maiden’s 2010 album has a doomed astronaut delivering his final messages. The first part of the title is a reference to how The Final Frontier is Iron
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The Highwaymen – Highwayman
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Have you ever written a song so great that the four greatest Outlaw Country singers of all time named their supergroup after it? No? Well, that’s because you’re not Jimmy Webb.
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Týr – Sand in the Wind
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Lifetime is short compared to the time the earth has existed in / Earth's lifetime compared to that of the great universe / Equally short, our images of the world that we populate
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Iron Maiden – El Dorado
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This song, which won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance (though Iron Maiden weren’t able to attend the ceremony) was the first single from the album and is narrated by a
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Steppenwolf – Born to Be Wild
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The 1967 Steppenwolf mega-hit.
It became doubly famous as the theme song from the classic 1969 counterculture road movie “Easy Rider”. This made this arguably the most popular
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – Woods in Winter
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When winter winds are piercing chill, / And through the hawthorn blows the gale, / With solemn feet I tread the hill, / That overbrows the lonely vale. / O'er the
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Genius Lists – Songs Based on Historical Events
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This Genius project helps connect music to historical events
Many times, we listen to a song, not ever knowing it was based on an actual event in history. The list includes a very
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Blackslash – Night City Street Lights
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We saw the city lights / We saw the darkness of the light / Living on the run / We fought the hardest fight / Never give up and we will hold on tight / We're still children of the
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – Keramos
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Turn, turn, my wheel? Turn round and round / Without a pause, without a sound: / So spins the flying world away! / This clay, well mixed with marl and sand, / Follows the motion of
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Sir Walter Scott – The Lady of the Lake - Canto III
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CANTO THIRD. / The Gathering. / I. / Time rolls his ceaseless course. The race of yore, / Who danced our infancy upon their knee, / And told our marvelling boyhood legends store
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UFO – Fighting Man
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Hearts of darkness / Falling down / It's raining stones / Fate is driving / Now theres no meat / On the bone / There's a hurricane coming / What a bitter pill / There's a distant
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GZA – Liquid Swords
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“Liquid Swords” is the title track and first song on GZA’s classic album. RZA is featured on the hook, while GZA produces two outstanding verses that exemplify his ability to make
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